In Transit

This short project documented my time exploring Taiwan’s rural culture in comparison to its energetic urban landscape. Whilst visiting Alishan Forest, a place where trees have aged for thousands of years, I looked to ground myself here and see how I can reflect its ancient energy through my photographs.

Two years ago I travelled to Taiwan, unsuspecting of the nature of the country. ‘In transit’ documents my brief time spent in the country, but ever since I have longed to go back. The energetic urban landscape of its main cities such as Taipei is almost addicting, around every corner you capture a smell from a food vendor or the flash of the enchanting billboards entice you. 

I have found that in western media, Asian cities such as Taipei tend to become hyper orientalised. As I travelled I found myself thinking back to Morley and Robins's term ‘techno-orientalism’, first defined in their “Spaces of Identity” in 1995. Whilst photographing this amazingly technologically advanced city, I wanted to try and move away from this hyper fetishized idea of Asian cities you often see in genres of cyberpunk or in Hollywood blockbusters such as Bladerunner. I asked myself how I could capture the bustle of the city, whilst focusing on the slow pace of living asian cultures tend to have. 

Growing up half viet, I feel like I have this understanding of the appreciation and slow paced life that my ancestors once had. My mum grew up on a farm, and I can admire the beauty in the simplicity of how her life used to be. A main part of this project was taken in Alishan forest, home to trees aging from ten to a thousand years old. Standing in this beautifully ancient place, you could feel the energy of the trees and appreciate the perfect harmony of nature. You feel yourself being completely grounded with the trees, away from the stresses of deadlines at university, away from caring about how many hours to work to make up rent for next month, away from everything. By shooting on analogue film, you allow fate to take over, which felt incredibly important to the process of this short project. It’s almost a form of meditation, as you wait for the perfect moment to cross your viewfinder.

Throughout my time travelling around Taiwan, I looked to capture the feeling and moments of stillness and ancient energy wherever I went; from standing in the middle of busy roads to listening to the gentle hum of temples as incense burns, I let myself be free to the will of nature.